Working away in the late afternoon and smack-dab out of no where; tummy starts grumbling, mouth is watering and you can’t stop thinking about that snickers candy bar you saw your co-worker eat at lunch today.

You say to yourself “Nope, not today. No candy!” You are hanging on by a thread. You drank the water; you got up and took a 5 minute walk; you negotiated with yourself to wait 20 minutes and if you are still hungry, than you can snack. But all your mind can do is scream “I want sweet-salty!” You know today is the day that a piece of fruit is just not going to cut it. What to do?

Snack Attach Pack! This is an amazing sweet salty snack that I learned from a great book call the Instinct Diet by Sue Roberts. The “I” diet as it is nicked name suggests 3 variations of this high fiber, satisfying treat. The Sweet Snack Attack Pack is my go to, which I have made some slight variations on for my taste preferences and budget! They are great and tasty snack to keep in a desk draw at work, bring on a trip in airplane or car or to just keep in a purse or bag as in case of emergency snack. The high fiber cereal is the “bulk” of this snack both figuratively and literally. The cereal on average provides about 14 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup (1/2 of you daily requirement for fiber, goal of 20-30 grams/day). When you finished one of these packs, no more tummy rumbling or cravings. The fiber in the cereal keeps the snack low glycemic index and keeps you satisfied. The nuts add healthy fat and salty flavor, while the dark chocolate chips have a more pronounced chocolate taste, so just a table spoon goes a long way in the cure for your chocolate fix.

The key with the Snack Attack Packs is the containers you place them in. We are very visual eaters! If I gave you a 1/2 cup of cereal in a normal size sandwich bag or large cereal bowl, you would feel like a jipped you. However if I placed that same 1/2 cup of cereal in a small sandwich/snack bag or small bowl/ramekin, the container looks full and you are a happy customer. No matter what snack you are having or making I suggest you buy some small containers and snack bags to keep on hand to have all your snacks out of.

Finally one of the biggest lessons I have learned from these Snack Attack Packs is will-power cannot be the only method used to change behavior. We need to learn how to manipulate our environment to create sustainable change. What does that mean?

If I kept no snacks at work, I might head to the vending machine of corner store for that candy bar. But if I keep healthy “treats” in my desk draw at work, it gives me the opportunity to make the better choices. And if I pre-portion out my snacks into small containers instead of eating directly out of the package, I will eat less and be satisfied. All of those things had nothing to do with my will power, they had to do with small changes I made in my environment to set me up for success.